As former President Donald Trump's fourth and final press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany had the unenviable task of defending Trump-era policies, scandals, and missteps—often lying to do so.
After Trump was booted from the White House, McEnany took a job as a contributor for the Fox News network, where she continues to defend the Trump administration and slam the Biden administration.
Such was the case recently when McEnany accused current White House press secretary Jen Psaki of violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits civil servants in the Executive Branch from engaging in political activities such as campaigning, especially using government resources to do so. The President is exempt from the Hatch Act, as is the Vice President.
McEnany said the comments saying the administration believed in the agenda of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe amounted to a Hatch Act violation.
Why does the media not hold @PressSec accountable for potential Hatch Act violations? She has twice advocated for political candidates from the podium. \n\nThere is no problem in engaging in First Amendment political activity, but it must be done separate and apart from the podium.https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1448746178020057089\u00a0\u2026— Kayleigh McEnany (@Kayleigh McEnany) 1634261427
McEnany said that there is "no problem engaging in political activity, but it must be done separately and apart from the podium."
This is rich coming from McEnany, who took part in a Trump campaign rally on the White House lawn just weeks before the 2020 election.
This is a truly stunning picturepic.twitter.com/XSoQY4JIzL— John Bresnahan (@John Bresnahan) 1598583798
McEnany worked as both a Trump campaign adviser and as White House press secretary simultaneously. She defended Trump's election lies, claiming these weren't Hatch Act violations because she was working in her "personal capacity." McEnany also spoke at the Republican National Convention, a campaign event broadcast from the White House.
Hatch Act violations repeatedly characterized the Trump administration, though few—if any—officials were held accountable.
People were amazed at McEnany's hypocrisy.
The shamelessness, ah the shamelessness...https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1634264975
Do they teach projection at Harvard or did Kayleigh learn it at Trump U?https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Chris Hahn (@Chris Hahn) 1634302822
I am not a lawyer or a government ethicist, but setting aside the mind-boggling hypocrisy from this idiot, I really wonder if a press secretary answering a direct question from the press about a president helping out a political campaign counts here.https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Gary Legum (@Gary Legum) 1634305027
They pointed out hers and the Trump administration's own Hatch Act violations.
YOU GUYS LITERALLY HELD THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION FROM THE WHITE HOUSEhttps://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Zac Petkanas (@Zac Petkanas) 1634304090
Kayleigh McEnany literally served as a senior advisor to Trump's re-election campaign at the same time she was the White House press secretary.\n\nhttps://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-press-secretary-kayleigh-mcenany-is-now-formally-moonlighting-as-a-trump-campaign-aide\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1634265295
I'm so old I remember one year ago, when Kayleigh was drawing a $183,000 taxpayer-financed salary to be Press Sec but then moonlighting as a campaign spokesperson on Hannity.https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1634262075
Former spokesperson for the president who held a political convention at the White House weighs in on the Hatch Acthttps://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Lachlan Markay (@Lachlan Markay) 1634302554
Others said that, while the tweet was indeed maddening, the Biden administration should be more careful not to emulate the Trump administration's blatant Hatch Act violations.
Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue. \n\nDoesn't mean she's wrong though.https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Andrew Fleischman (@Andrew Fleischman) 1634297742
Everyone is right to scoff at McEnany's galactic level of absurd hypocrisy here, but we don't want the appalling behavior of the Trump administration to set the new norms and levels. Hatch Act compliance is something we should expect the Biden administration to do better on.https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1448823554309513222\u00a0\u2026— Jacob T. Levy (@Jacob T. Levy) 1634297558
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